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CHAPTERS

Look for More True Stories of: Amazing Animal Heroes

Animal Friendships

Amazing Animal Adventures

Amazing Animal Talents

Amazing Animal Rescues

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And More True Stories of Amazing Animal Rescues

Animals Behaving Badly

LUCKY LU L UC U CK C KYYLEOPARDS! LE L EOPA AR RD DS S!!!

S LUCKY LEOPARDS!

In Lucky Leopards, you’ll read three amazing stories of daring animal rescues. You’ll meet Runa and Kata, two orphaned clouded leopard cubs learning to survive on their own in the jungle; Koa, a stranded sea turtle found in the nick of time; and Crooked Neck, a loon who found himself tied up in knots. Experience the adventure as you learn how these awesome animals defeated the odds, and meet the people devoted to saving them.

CHAPTERS

Incredible stories about animals and the people who love them

CHAPTERS

LUCKY

!

S D R A LEOP

And Mores True Storie of Amazing

Animal Rescues

By Aline Alexander Newman

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LUCKY

!

S D R A P LEO ies r o t S e u r T e r o And M of Amazing

Animal Rescues

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Copyright © 2014 National Geographic Society All rights reserved. Reproduction of the whole or any part of the contents without written permission from the publisher is prohibited.

Published by the National Geographic Society John M. Fahey, Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer Declan Moore, Executive Vice President; President, Publishing and Travel Melina Gerosa Bellows, Executive Vice President; Chief Creative Officer, Books, Kids, and Family Prepared by the Book Division Hector Sierra, Senior Vice President and General Manager Nancy Laties Feresten, Senior Vice President, Kids Publishing and Media Jay Sumner, Director of Photography, Children’s Publishing Jennifer Emmett, Vice President, Editorial Director, Children’s Books Eva Absher-Schantz, Design Director, Kids Publishing and Media R. Gary Colbert, Production Director Jennifer A. Thornton, Director of Managing Editorial Staff for This Book Becky Baines, Project Editor Eva Absher-Schantz, Art Director Kelley Miller, Senior Photo Editor Ruthie Thompson, Designer Ariane Szu-Tu, Editorial Assistant Callie Broaddus, Design Production Assistant Grace Hill, Associate Managing Editor Joan Gossett, Production Editor Marfé Ferguson Delano, Release Editor Lewis R. Bassford, Production Manager Susan Borke, Legal and Business Affairs Jennifer Raichek, Intern Production Services Phillip L. Schlosser, Senior Vice President Chris Brown, Vice President, NG Book Manufacturing George Bounelis, Vice President, Production Services Nicole Elliott, Manager Rachel Faulise, Manager Robert L. Barr, Manager

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The National Geographic Society is one of the world’s largest nonprofit scientific and educational organizations. Founded in 1888 to “increase and diffuse geographic knowledge,” the Society’s mission is to inspire people to care about the planet. It reaches more than 400 million people worldwide each month through its official journal, National Geographic, and other magazines; National Geographic Channel; television documentaries; music; radio; films; books; DVDs; maps; exhibitions; live events; school publishing programs; interactive media; and merchandise. National Geographic has funded more than 10,000 scientific research, conservation, and exploration projects and supports an education program promoting geographic literacy.

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Table of S T N E T N O C RUNA AND KATA: Lucky Leopards Chapter 1: Jungle Kittens

4 6

Chapter 2: A Bold Plan

16

Chapter 3: Tough Love

26

KOA: Turtle in Trouble

36

Chapter 1: Wrong-Way Sea Turtle 38 Chapter 2: Hurry! Hurry!

48

Chapter 3: Swim Away Home

58

CROOKED NECK: The Lone Loon

68

Chapter 1: Double Trouble

70

Chapter 2: The Long Chase

80

Chapter 3: Free at Last

90

DON’T MISS!

101

Index and More Information

110

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Runa and Kata explore the forest. Their spotted coats blend in with the leaves.

4

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A NA R UN RU A:: ATTA KA DK A ND AN

LUCKY S D R A P O E L 5

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Runa and Kata nuzzle each other.

They are as soft and cuddly as pet kittens.

6

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Chapter 1

JUNGLE KITTENS March 2009, Assam, India

P

eople watched their step in the Assam (sounds like ah-SAHM) jungle in

northeast India. Roads were few and made of dirt. Trees grew so close together they almost touched.

And bushy plants and fallen logs covered the forest floor. You never knew when a hungry tiger or slithering python might surprise

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you. This place was wild. It belonged to the animals.

Two of those animals lay sleeping in a hollow tree. They were newborn kittens, or cubs. Their mother had left them alone while she went hunting for food. The cubs should have been safe. Except before the mama returned, some woodcutters came.

The woodcutters lived in a village on the edge of the forest, in a part of India called Kokrajhar (sounds like co-kruh-JAR). They earned money by gathering firewood to sell.

One man saw the hollow tree. He chopped it down with his ax. The tree landed with a thud. Then he got a big surprise.

Two tiny furballs bounced out! The startled woodcutter dropped his ax. He scooped up the tiny cats. They mewed

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softly. Their gray spotted coats felt as soft as a baby chick. What are they? the man wondered. Baby tigers or baby leopards?

It didn’t matter. The cubs were adorable. And there was no danger in picking them up. The babies’ eyes hadn’t even opened yet. If only I could sell these cats, he thought.

The woodcutter was very poor. He knew that wild-animal dealers would pay big money for the cubs. Then the dealers would sell the cubs for even more money.

Rich collectors from other countries paid thousands of dollars for wild animals to put in their backyard zoos.

Even if no dealers came along, the cubs were a good find. Maybe the woodcutter could sell them as pets. Or his neighbors

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might buy them. Some men tied animal parts to their swords. This was a custom, or tradition, in his village. Some people hung animal skins up to decorate their huts. Local healers also used animal parts Did You Know?

There are 37 different kinds of cats.

The biggest are tigers, lions, leopards, jaguars, cheetahs, and pumas.

to make medicine.

The woodcutter knew it was wrong to capture wild animals. It was wrong to sell them too. The Indian government had laws

against these things. But the thought of all the money he could make dazzled him.

What if he could make $200 selling the cubs? That would be like winning the lottery! With that much money he could feed his family for many months.

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The woodcutter carried the cubs home.

Then he quietly spread the word. He had jungle cats for sale.

But his plan went wrong. He didn’t know how to take care of the cubs. He didn’t know how to feed them. Or even what to feed them! Another villager became worried. He told a forest department worker named Akhim (sounds like ah-KEEM) about the cubs.

Akhim went to the woodcutter. He demanded the kittens. The woodcutter turned them over.

Akhim rushed the baby cats to the local wildlife rescue center. It was run by the Wildlife Trust of India. It was not a moment too soon. The cubs hadn’t eaten in days. “One of them was seriously sick,”

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says Sonali Ghosh (sounds like so-NAHlee GOUSH). Sonali is an officer with the Indian Forest Service. “I was scared it might die,” she said.

The rescue center veterinarians (sounds like vet-er-ih-NARE-ee-ens) examined the baby cats. “These are common leopards,” the vets decided. The common leopard is the kind most “commonly” seen. There are also snow leopards, clouded leopards, and Sunda clouded leopards.

Everyone at the rescue center treated the cubs with great care. Workers fed the kittens around the clock. They gave them goat’s milk, using baby bottles.

Leopards are meat-eaters. So the vets wanted the cubs to get a taste for meat.

After about three weeks, the workers

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started mixing liver soup in with the goat’s milk.

The cubs ate a lot.

They grew fast. As they got bigger, the markings

Did You Know?

As babies, clouded leopards have blue eyes.

Later their eyes turn yellow.

on their coats became easier to see. One day the vets noticed something very interesting. The spots on these cubs looked different from the spots on common leopards. They were darker and grayer.

The vets looked at each other.

They wondered . . .

Could it be?

Yes! These cubs weren’t common leopards after all. They were clouded leopards. Extremely rare, almost never seen, clouded leopards!

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